ALPHARETTA, Ga., Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward Solutions, a national portfolio of outsourced sales and service brands, is calling attention to one of the last territory-bound models in the modern B2B ecosystem: the traditional manufacturer representative structure. While today’s customers operate across regional and state footprints, many manufacturer rep models remain constrained by rigid geographic boundaries. This can create friction for customers and limit manufacturers' growth. Forward Solutions suggests that larger, multi-territory agencies are uniquely positioned to align sales coverage with how customers actually buy.
Customers no longer buy by territory. Yet many industries still sell that way.
Customers Have Outgrown Territory-Based Selling
Modern B2B buyers no longer operate within neat geographic lines. Many customers now manage multiple facilities across states while centralizing purchasing decisions and decentralizing day-to-day operations. They choose distributors based on capability, speed, and trusted relationships, not on zip codes or regional boundaries. At the same time, they expect a consistent experience across all their locations.
As buying behavior has evolved, so have expectations. Today’s customers want simplicity, continuity, and flexibility, regardless of where their facilities are located. They also want consistent, trusted relationships that extend beyond the sale to delivery, service, training, and ongoing support.
The Disconnect: A System Optimized for Sellers, Not Customers
Despite these shifts, many smaller agencies and traditional rep models remain constrained by fixed geographic agreements, with limited coordination across regions. This creates a system designed to protect territory ownership rather than support how customers actually buy.
For customers with multiple locations, the result is fragmented coverage, inconsistent messaging, and unnecessary handoffs. This erodes the buying experience and dilutes the manufacturer’s brand message in the field.
The Unexpected Advantage of Larger Rep Agencies: Territory Fluidity
Larger outsourced rep agencies operate differently by design. Rather than organizing around maps, they are built to serve accounts that span multiple territories and to coordinate seamlessly across regions. This allows them to align manufacturer strategy with real-world buying behavior and support distributors wherever customers need them, not just where a specific rep is assigned.
Instead of asking, “Is this in my territory?” they ask, “What’s the right solution for this customer?” They can leverage deep local relationships while operating seamlessly across regions to expand their footprint.
Why Territory Fluidity Matters More Than Ever
1. Multi-Facility Customers Expect One Experience - A customer with facilities in Ohio, Texas, and California doesn’t want three rep agencies, three strategies, or three interpretations of the same product line. Larger agencies can deliver a single, coordinated approach across all geographies.
2. Distributors Don’t Fit Neatly Inside Territory Lines – Many customers choose distributors based on relationships, inventory, category expertise, and value-added services. As distributors grow through expansion and ongoing mergers and acquisitions, these interactions increasingly extend beyond traditional rep territories. Larger agencies have the flexibility to support those relationships without forcing workarounds or breaking alignment.
3. Territory Boundaries Slow Growth - Rigid geographic structures can delay onboarding, complicate national account expansion, and create internal handoffs that dilute momentum. Larger agencies reduce friction by designing coverage around accounts, not maps. The result is increased communication and faster success.
4. Manufacturers Gain Better Visibility and Control - Instead of fragmented regional reporting, larger agencies provide consolidated insights across territories, clearer national account performance, and faster strategic pivots, allowing manufacturers to scale intelligently, not just geographically.
From Territory Ownership to Customer Stewardship
The future of B2B selling is about stewarding customer relationships. Larger outsourced agencies are built around customer-first coverage models that encourage collaboration across territories and support long-term account growth.
They don’t eliminate territory structures. They evolve them to reflect how customers actually buy today.
Why Scale Has Become a Competitive Advantage
Smaller agencies can be very effective within defined boundaries, but larger agencies are built to serve in those boundaries and beyond. In a B2B world where customers work across multiple locations and regions, the ability to move fluidly across geography is no longer optional; it is a competitive advantage.
As a result, manufacturers looking to remove friction from their sales model are increasingly turning to partners that can match the scale, complexity, and reality of how customers buy today.
Ready to Sell Without Geographic Limits?
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About Forward Solutions
Forward Solutions partners with manufacturers and industrial suppliers to connect customers to multi-channel sales models, providing a smarter, more scalable path to growth. With deep expertise in B2B distribution channels, digital commerce, and integrated marketing, Forward Solutions helps companies modernize their go-to-market strategy to meet the evolving needs of today’s buyers. Forward Solutions national portfolio of outsourced sales and service brands — including Avision®, C3Team®, Curate®, Electris360®, OneSolution™, PJ Boren, RelyPak®, StruXur®, and Xpand Demand™.
Media Contact:
Gina Tsiropoulos, SVP of Marketing
Gina.Tsiropoulos@Forward-Solutions.com
